Chapter 56: The Persona of a Wealthy and Beautiful Goddess

Now that he had a deputy general manager and an assistant, there was no need for Lu Liang to handle something like recruitment himself.

After lunch, they went to the market supervision bureau and raised the company’s subscribed capital to fifty million yuan, paying in another ten million. Once the registration records were updated on Tuesday, Tianxing Capital’s subscribed capital would stand at fifty million, with sixteen million paid in.

He had just finished the paperwork at the bank when Li Yue called. The 718 he had ordered the previous week had arrived, and she wanted to know when he could come by to pick it up.

“Send me the address. I’ll come by in a bit.”

Lu Liang dropped off the deputy general manager and his assistant at the office, then drove to the Porsche Center beside People’s Park.

Li Yue had received his message and was waiting outside the dealership. Holding a parasol, she crossed and uncrossed her long legs, fidgeting idly.

With her pale yellow hair, gray miniskirt, and white blouse, she looked like the leading lady in a film from a neighboring country—the sort of film with only a handful of actors.

After all his years in the city, showing clients around apartments every day, Lu Liang had seen his fair share of beautiful career women. Li Yue was probably the one who wore office attire best. About 165 centimeters tall and perhaps 120 pounds, she had the kind of voluptuous figure that was hard to resist.

“Mr. Lu, you can park right out front. I’ll ask one of my colleagues to give your car a wash.”

In high heels, Li Yue still moved briskly. She jogged over to his car and opened the door with an eager smile.

“Here.”

Lu Liang gave her the keys with a slight nod and followed her into Rongxing Tower, where the Porsche Center occupied the ground floor.

Dozens of Porsche sports cars stood in neat rows. Gleaming paintwork reflected off the polished tiles, all of it glittering beneath the showroom lights.

“Mr. Lu, this pearl-white one is the new Panamera Executive Long Wheelbase for this year…”

Reading his expression and seeing that he wasn’t interested, Li Yue quickly changed tack. She continued talking as they walked, leading him to a brand-new, bright red sports car.

She patted the hood. “This is the Porsche 718 you reserved.”

A two-door, two-seat convertible with a soft top, a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine, and 250 horsepower. Including insurance and registration, it came to 716,000 yuan.

“Mr. Lu, would you like to take it for a spin? There’s a special pleasure in driving a sports car now and then.”

Li Yue bit her lower lip, looking alluring. Clutching a folder to her chest, she deliberately pressed herself against it.

“Take the car for a spin, or take you for one?”

Lu Liang’s mouth curved into a smile. Without a care for who might see, he palmed her breast with one hand.

Whenever he saw Li Yue, he marveled at nature’s handiwork. How could something like that be natural? The Creator really was a wonder.

It was easy enough to tell real from fake. A fake could never pass for the real thing; all it took was a touch.

“Don’t. There are cameras.”

Her cheeks flushed as she gestured toward the upper right corner.

“Then let’s go somewhere without cameras.”

Still smiling, Lu Liang picked up the keys and drove the new car out of the Porsche Center with Li Yue beside him.

They headed south, toward the outskirts. Once they reached a quiet stretch of road, he lowered the soft top.

Lu Liang raised his right arm, fingers spread, and felt the wind roar past. There really was something special about taking a sports car out for a drive now and then.

“Why does it feel a little sluggish?”

He glanced down at her. Even with the accelerator pressed harder, the lack of power was obvious.

The car had some kick, but compared with his SUV, the two vehicles were in entirely different leagues.

“That’s normal, isn’t it? The Urus has 640 horsepower, while the 718 has only 250—not even half.”

Li Yue leaned over, her words indistinct. Even while busy, she still remembered the exact specifications of every car.

“Shh, a car’s coming.”

Lu Liang sucked in a sharp breath and quickly pressed Li Yue’s head back down.

Doing it in the middle of the day, right there on the road, brought a thrill all its own. She was so wanton and provocative—and she hadn’t brought a condom.

An hour and a half later, the red 718 returned to the Porsche Center.

As soon as they got out, Li Yue hurried to the restroom. Smiling, Lu Liang followed close behind.

Standing before the vanity mirror, she checked her appearance, touched up her nearly vanished lipstick, and fixed her slightly mussed hair.

Wrinkling her nose, she glared at Lu Liang, who was washing his hands, and muttered, “You scoundrel. All you ever do is pick on me.”

“Can’t help it. You look like you’re just begging to be bullied.”

Lu Liang smiled. A sudden, conspicuous flush of a toilet sounded nearby, so he refrained from doing anything more.

After a while, they left separately and returned one after the other to the business lounge, where the contract was to be signed.

Li Yue came in carrying a cup of coffee and a plate of delicate pastries. “Mr. Lu, please wait a little longer. I’ve asked them to clean the inside of the car.”

Lu Liang drove an SUV worth over three million yuan. Even if he suddenly felt like driving a sports car, he wouldn’t have bought a modest entry-level model costing only a few hundred thousand.

So she assumed the 718 was a gift—most likely for another woman.

If you were going to sneak a bite, you had to wipe your mouth afterward. She had no wish to meddle in someone else’s marriage.

Lu Liang smiled. “You’re so considerate. What if I fall in love with you?”

“That’s easy. I’ll squeeze every last penny out of you, then dump you.”

Li Yue covered her mouth and giggled, as if already imagining the wonderful life she would have after swindling him.

“What a terrifying woman.”

They chatted and joked, and with nothing else to do, somehow drifted into a discussion of women’s anatomy.

Lu Liang asked, genuinely curious, whether it was tiring to carry so much up front.

Li Yue answered with equal seriousness that it was. Her shoulders and neck were already mildly strained, and if she weren’t worried about scarring, she would have considered having some of it removed.

They talked about many things, but both knew better than to ask certain questions. Li Yue didn’t ask whether Lu Liang was married, and he didn’t ask whether she had a boyfriend.

They were strangers who had crossed paths. When the mood took them, they had a fling, took precautions, and stayed out of each other’s private lives.

That evening, Lu Liang drove the Porsche staff back to the parking garage at Tomson Riviera.

He called Li Manli and told her he had a gift for her, asking her to come downstairs and have a look.

A little while later, the sound of slippers pattering across the empty underground garage reached him.

Li Manli was beside herself with excitement. Next to his yellow car was a red sports car, and Lu Liang was watching her with a smile.

“Is this for me?”

She was so thrilled she hardly knew what to do.

“Get in. I’ll take you for a drive.”

Still smiling, Lu Liang swung himself into the car.

“Okay!”

Li Manli nodded excitedly and scrambled into the passenger seat. Her delight was impossible to hide; the moment she was inside, she began touching everything.

A silly grin crept across her face. She noticed that the registration papers were in Lu Liang’s name, but didn’t think anything of it.

With a grand gesture, she declared, “Liang, let’s go to the Great World for dinner tonight. My treat.”

She hadn’t asked Lu Liang for money in a long time. In fact, she often dipped into her own savings to help with household expenses.

Beautiful, with a great figure, often dressed in generous cosplay outfits, and able to cook—she was a gorgeous young creator who seemed to be a rich second-generation heiress living in a mansion.

All those qualities combined made her a nuclear weapon against anime-loving shut-ins.

Last time, Lu Liang had given her a Governor membership and sent her dozens of little TV gifts. As the saying went, a favorable wind could carry you straight to the sky.

She was now one of Bilibili’s breakout creators. Every video and livestream brought in thousands, sometimes tens of thousands, so she was hardly short of spending money.

“Does this mean I’m being kept by the Cute Goddess?” Lu Liang teased, using her online nickname.

When he was bored, he sometimes looked through the chat logs in Li Manli’s fan group. To everyone else, she was an untouchable goddess; to him, she was already at his mercy. The sense of accomplishment was irresistible.

“Then your divine goddess will keep you for a few nights.”

Li Manli tossed her head proudly.

“Careful. I called you chubby, and now you’re acting like you’re out of breath.”

“Hmph!”

They headed to a private molecular gastronomy restaurant at the Great World. The food was fairly average; the main appeal was its novelty, along with the spectacular presentation.

Li Manli had intuitively learned the importance of cultivating an online persona. Whenever she came across something upscale, she would first take a photo and post it.

She was building the image of a glamorous, wealthy goddess.